During recovery and treatment, it is important to have a solid support system to fall back on. This positive support system can include family members, friends, other loved ones, or an intimate partner. It is important to be surrounded by healthy relationships during recovery. For example, if someone has a domestic partner, this healthy relationship can support and encourage sobriety and consistency in recovery. If possible, this support system should be consistent during and after recovery, maintaining the same support throughout one’s journey.
The Importance of Stable Relationships for Those in Recovery
It is common for those with substance use disorders (SUD) to have fewer social support networks than those who don’t have SUD. This is due to several factors. People with SUD often feel shame, guilt, or fear and often resist reaching out to others. SUD can also impact a person’s relationships with others, causing them to be isolated. Often a person with SUD cannot maintain consistency and healthiness in their relationships.
However, stable social relationships can help those with addiction achieve and maintain consistency in recovery. Stable support systems are key to longevity in recovery. Supportive friends, family members, and loved ones that do not have SUD can hold people struggling with addiction accountable in a healthy way. These supports can encourage one to restructure unhealthy or self-destructive behaviors.
Why Healthy Relationships Help
Many healthy relationships have a system of mutual trust and support. These relationships are defined by thoughtfulness, honesty, reciprocity, effort, respect, support, encouragement, safety, security, humor, tenderness, compassion, and healthy boundaries. These qualities inherent to healthy relationships can benefit one’s recovery. Safety, especially, is important as the addicted loved one can open up to this person without feeling judged.
At times, the other person in the relationship can be the one to reach out on behalf of their loved one to help them receive guidance, support, and treatment. About ten percent of 21 million Americans affected by SUDs seek and receive help. Having healthy personal relationships can encourage people to seek help.
Help With Remaining Committed
The recovery journey is not linear. Going through this lifelong journey of recovery requires a support system. Trying to better oneself overall requires an open mind, commitment, and hard work. Alone, this is a daunting task. However, with others in one’s corner, it is much easier to remain committed. For this reason, keeping a stable support system during recovery is vital.
Members of a healthy support system will understand that this journey is not smooth sailing and will offer encouragement when a person falters. They also understand that reaching one’s goals will take time and effort personally and for the community around them. Those helping their loved ones should understand that the addiction is not a piece of the person that is broken. Instead, addiction is a part of their life that can be overcome.
Hardships Before and During Recovery That Can Be Supported by Healthy Relationships
Bonds with those unaffected by SUDs can provide care and positivity before and during one’s recovery journey. These essential relationships offer a safe space for loved ones to heal and express their difficulties while experiencing addiction and recovery. Stable relationships with others allow for growth, whether SUD is present or not.
For instance, clients with SUD may experience the following:
- Changes in their behavior, including mood swings
- Increased irritability, agitation, and paranoia
- Difficulty managing responsibilities at work, school, or home
- Decreased involvement and motivation
- Difficulty focusing and concentrating
- Hallucinations or seizures
- Change in sleeping habits, fatigue, and difficulty waking up
- Inability to stop using the substance even when these effects and signs are present
When a loved one is dealing with an addiction, trying to maintain a healthy or stable relationship with them can be difficult. However, while in recovery, many clients experience emotional and mental hardships. These stable and healthy relationships can provide needed support.
Particularly when first detoxing, many clients deal with post-withdrawal symptoms (PAWS), which can significantly impact one’s recovery journey. Some clients may relapse from coping with these physical and psychological withdrawal symptoms.
Healthy relationships can provide hope when dealing with these mental, emotional, and physical hardships during recovery. This hope can open more doors for the recovery journey, encouraging those with an addiction to persist past these hardships and manifest a fulfilling life outside of addiction.
How Roots Recovery Helps Strengthen Relationships
Roots Recovery works with clients to help repair and strengthen relationships with others. Staff members help clients reflect on negative experiences in their relationships and help them overcome these issues. With time, they develop an increased ability to develop and sustain healthy relationships.
Our staff members can discuss with clients what goes into creating a healthy relationship and how to initiate that in the client’s life. While healthy and stable relationships may persist through recovery, even this aspect is not linear. There may be instances where relationships can falter. This can also be overcome through the programs and therapies at Roots Recovery. Therapy groups help repair their relationships with others and with themselves. Mending one’s self-image and self-esteem is significant in helping to heal relationships with others.
Healthy relationships are key to a person’s addiction recovery journey. Here at Roots Recovery, we emphasize the importance of maintaining stable relationships and repairing and healing relationships. When going through recovery, the addicted person may experience many hardships and sometimes feel lonely or isolated. This feeling can sometimes lead to relapse. While recovery is not linear, stable relationships can improve a person’s perseverance and consistency in their recovery. Roots Recovery offers programs and services in which the client helps heal themselves and their relationships with others. Fostering healthy relationships can be crucial to recovery. Having this caring support system can help create a healthier life overall. Call (562) 473-0827 for more information.
